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Friday, December 10, 2010

Polish Porcupine Ball- Revisited

I really want to make some more of these balls, so I tried foil paper today. Love the result, but I learned some things. First of all, the foil paper is harder to work with than regular paper, but it wasn't brittle (as I thought it might be) when I strung it together. I made this one just a tiny bit smaller so that it's not so overwhelming on a tree.

I also learned that I should use a different kind of glue for the foil. Not only did it take the Elmer's a long time to dry enough to hold the foil, it left a dull residue on the shiny surface.

How about it, you paper crafters- can I use a hot glue gun on paper? I don't have one, but that could be fixed. I have learned that people are selling these balls for as much as $40!

Maggie doesn't look like she's real impressed but I am. Those are awesome and $40, wow, that's expensive.I would think that hot glue would cause too much bulk between the paper. You could try glue dots or a glue stick. A glue stick may take too long to dry though. The glue dots just stick instantly, you can find those in the scrapbooking section of a craft store. I'm not really a glue expert but that's my suggestion

These are cool! I love seeing how stuff like this is made. The last time I was ever able to do anything like it was when I was a kid, but I've never lost my fascination for things like this. My grandparents used to do a lot of things like this. But without them around anymore, I haven't seen much up close.

No, I'm not Polish, but we have a large Polish population here too. I'm Irish and German. My family originally came here from Iowa when I was little. Our ethnic background is much more reflected back there. My grandma used to make things like this, I think from learning some of it from Polish women in our neighborhood.